Today, I Will Do My Best To Be...

"Today, I Will Do My Best to Be HONORABLE, TRUSTWORTHY and PLEASING TO GOD."

If you've not done so already, be sure to go to the podcast (links found below) and listen as well as reading this article. Same topic, yes, but additional material that you can only get by listening to the podcast version on this topic.

Right off, let's get this "out there" - I'm a believer and, much of what I do and say, reflects that belief as well as my Faith. But, even if you don't believe what I do or as I do, you can still benefit from what I'm going to share with you today.

The phrase that you see highlighted right below the graphic is actually the phrase that you see the red arrow pointing to and the red box around, on my white board. Yep, that's an actual picture of my white board and some of those things on there have been there for quite some time. Sure, feel free to enlarge that picture and take a look around - I'll be sharing each of those things with you over the next several podcasts.

Let me give you a little background information on how this phrase came to be. Again, listen to the podcast to get the "full version". Basically, during a time period that one of my boys was going through in which he was struggling with telling a lie as opposed to the truth, I had him writing sentences as a form of punishment. I also wanted it to be a learning process BUT the lesson that I was teaching at the start of this process was not what I really wanted him to learn. And I didn't catch that fact right away.

Pretty much, I had him writing that he was a liar and that it was not good to be a person that no one could trust or believe. Now, overall, I think that is a powerful lesson that all young people need to understand and learn. Too many people think that it is o.k. to lie and not be honest and they don't think (or, many times, even care) what the consequences are to their life and the lives of those around them.

But, here's what got me. I finally realized that I was having him state these words into his mind and mindset - "I am a liar..." Our words are so powerful and I was making the mistake of directing him to speak these words of defeat into his life.

So I came up with a different approach - the phrase that you see featured for today's article.

Yeah, he still had some sentences that he need to write as part of his punishment/discipline but, now, instead of speaking words of defeat into his life, I now had him writing down a positive affirmation and commitment to strive for something better. And, as part of that process, to BECOME someone better.

Let's take a quick look at a few components of this powerful phrase...

"Today" - The time is NOW! We have no promise for tomorrow and yesterday is history so, in reality, all we have is TODAY and THIS is the day that I will take steps forward in my journey.

"I" - No one else to blame. No one else to expect to do it for you. It's up to me. I am the one responsible and I will be the one to take the needed action in and for my life!

"Will Do My Best" - I'm not striving to be perfect but to simply do my best and to try to be my best. It doesn't mean that I'm taking the easy way out but, rather, that I am committing to actually DOING MY BEST in this endeavor. If I fail and come up short, I will pick myself back up, dust myself off, and continue on striving to "do my best".

"Honorable" - To be HONORABLE is to be a person of HONOR and respect. I am dedicated to living my life (to the best of my ability) as a person "of honor" or a person that strives to live, act, think, and speak in a way that lifts ME up as well as those that are around me.

"Trustworthy" - I want to be a person of trust or a person that can be trusted. I strive to be a person that others KNOW that my word is truth. In other words, I want to be a person that, for one, that doesn't have to make all kinds of silly "I-swear-by-this-or-that" statements to try to get people to believe me. I don't want to have to try and remember what I said to one person or another to make sure that I don't contradict myself. I want to be known for truth - pure and simple. I also want to be one that others know that they can depend on me and that what I say I will do, I will do. Period.

"Pleasing to God" - For me, I want to honor my Maker by doing my best to please Him and live by His ways. In my opinion, living by His ways will make me a better person and a person that brings more value to those around me. For me, striving to be "pleasing to God" calls me to a level of commitment that I need to help me rise up to a higher level for myself. Make sense?

Bottom line: Adapt this however you need to do so but, whatever you do, COMMIT TO BEING A BETTER VERSION OF YOURSELF EVERY SINGLE DAY!

Starting today. Right here and right now.

Once again, if you haven't done so yet, you need to listen to the podcast on today's topic. Just click one of the links at the bottom of this article to do so. There is SO MUCH MORE information and additional thoughts that I share with you there that is not found in this article. 

If you listen by going to iTunes, please take a moment and leave a review - I thank you in advance! Also, be sure to stop by the FYU fan page on Facebook and let me know that you left that review AND to just say "hello" and let me know that you are benefiting from Future You University. 

As always, THANKS for joining me today and, please, share this with as many as possible and always be sure to keep moving forward, closer to your dream!

And, until next time, whatever you do,  be sure to...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

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